Qualitative and quantitative analysis of samples require good judgment from the analysts. These two aspects in gamma spectrometric analysis of Proficiency Test and solid radioactive waste samples for the determination of radionuclides are discussed. It is vital to judge and decide what energy peaks belong to which radionuclides prior to the creation of customized radionuclide library for the analysis of specific samples. Corrections due to radionuclide decay and growth, and the half-life assigned to a particular radionuclide in the uranium and thorium series are also discussed. Discussion on judgment to confirm the presence of thorium in food samples based on gamma spectrometry and neutron activation analysis is also provided.
Pineapple (Ananas comosus), Bromeliaceae family, is a fruit grows in tropical countries including Malaysia. This fruit has several pharmacological benefits due to the presence of high concentration of bromelain (cysteine proteases). Condition of elevated temperature will induce deformation of enzyme and result in loss of activity. Sulfhydryl groups in cysteine proteases are readily to be oxidized and might account for the denaturation of bromelain at elevated temperature. Polyphenol from ethanolic cashew leave extract could be complexed with bromelain to stabilize the enzymatic activity. In thermal stability test, the heat damage effect on bromelain was ten times reduced after complexing with cashew extract. The enzymatic activity of free bromelain decreased gradually from 25 o C to 95 o C. Complexed bromelain was stable in activity to heating up to 85 o C. Bromelainpolyphenol complex showed a good heat resistance. The result revealed that polyphenol could protect bromelain in pineapple juice from heat denaturation.
Food-borne diseases have always been a major concern to the consumers, food safety authorities and food industries. Hylocereus spp or Pitaya peels are normally treated as wastes and will be discarded during processing. In this study, the antibacterial activity of ethanol, chloroform and hexane extracts from Hylocereus polyrhizus (red flesh pitaya) and Hylocereus undatus (white flesh pitaya) peels against nine pathogens was evaluated using disc diffusion method and broth micro-dilution method. Result from disc diffusion method showed that chloroform extracts from H. polyrhizus and H. undatus peel were found to exhibit good antibacterial activity where almost all the pathogens studied were successfully inhibited. Result of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) showed that all extracts inhibit the growth of bacteria in the range of 1.25-10.00 mg/mL for all bacteria while their minimum bacteriacidal concentrations (MBC) indicated double of the MICs concentration except for B. cereus, L. monocytogenes and C. jejuni. Even though there is no clear trend indicating which bacteria were sensitive most to the extract, it can be concluded that chloroform extract of both H. polyrhizusand H. undatus peel showed the most potent antibacterial activity. Thus, these findings could be used further to understand the antibacterial property of the peel of pitaya fruits.
Many researchers have emphasized the importance of teaching stress management and self-care skills to medical students as they are vulnerable to develop psychological health problems. The researchers designed a 4-hour intervention based on the DEAL model to address these problems. This study aimed to determine outcomes of the DEAL-based intervention on medical students’ stress, anxiety and depression symptoms. Methods: A randomized controlled trial study was conducted on 171 medical students. Their stress, anxiety and depression symptoms were measured by the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale at five intervals; at 2 weeks before the intervention, and at 1 week, 8 weeks, 16 weeks and 32 weeks after the intervention. The mixed model ANCOVA was applied to determine the effect of the intervention on the participants’ psychological health at five intervals. Results: A total of 153 medical students (intervention = 73 and control = 80) completed this study. Results showed that the intervention group experienced significantly lower stress and depression symptoms than the control group. Although anxiety scores are consistently lower in the intervention group, no significant differences between groups were found. Conclusion: These results support the favourable outcomes of the intervention on psychological health of medical students. It is a promising intervention to be considered by medical schools as it consumes minimal amount of time, money, training and man power as well can be implemented easily.
Even though a lot of new advanced materials have been developed nowadays, steel remains a major material in construction, automobiles, appliances, industrial machinery as well as in the nuclear industry. Due to steel easily corroded, a proper surface protection is required to avoid any failures and extended the life cycle of the components. Surface coating is an efficient and economical method to obtain desirable material surfaces properties. Hot dip aluminizing technique was utilized in this study. Experiments have been conducted on the mild steel substrates with 12mm diameter. Prior to hot dipping process, observation on grain growth at three different temperatures had also been conducted to understand the behaviour of steel under application of heat. The substrates were heated at 700ºC, 800ºC and 900ºC for 1 hour and the microstructure was analyzed. The temperature of 800C was chosen for hot dipping. The substrates were dipped into the molten aluminum maintained at temperature 800ºC for 2,4,6,8,10,15 and 20 minutes. Optical microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used in this investigation. From the microstructure observation, it showed the appearance of intermetallic layer covered by the top layer of Al on the mild steel substrate increased with the increase in dipping time ranging from 36 to 282μm. The result of EDX analysis revealed the existence of Fe and Al in form of Fe2Al5 phase for all the dipping time.
There are many essential and non-essential elements including metals and radionuclides present in vegetables. Howeve r, the accumulation of the several metals and radionuclides might cause the contamination to vegetables itself. Green m ustard (Brasissca rapa var. Parachinesis L.) was selected to represent the vegetable in this study. Objectives of this stud y are to determine the concentration of metals and radionuclides in the samples and to calculate the enrichment factor ( EF) and also to estimate the uptake, base on biological accumulation coefficient (BAC), for the various parts of selecte d vegetables. Three farmlands in the Cameron Highlands were studied namely Bharat, Kg Raja and Bertam area. The g reen mustard and soil samples were collected during the harvest season. Samples were dried, ground and sieved prior t o analysis. Analyses for both samples were done by using X-rays Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) to measure the conc entration of Fe, Zn, Hg, U and Th. The concentration of all elements in the soils is lower than their concentration in the control soil, except for Zn, U and Th. The concentration of all elements in Green Mustard is lower than their concentrat ion in the soil where it was grown. The EF values in the Brasissca rapa var. Parachinesis L are lower than 2 except for U and Th, indicating some degree of contamination due to anthropogenic activities or naturally origin. The BAC values show that Zn and Hg were accumulated in the green mustard, depending on where the plant grows.
Many attempts have been focused in the past on preparing of synthetic E-tricalcium (E-TCP), which being employed as bone substitute due to its biocompatibility and resorbability. Low temperature synthesize such as sol-gel method become popular due to the high product purity and homogenous composition. Sol-gel method is less economical towards commercialization because the cost of raw materials and the yield of the product that can be achieved. This paper describes the synthesis of ETCP via mixing of CaCO3 and H3PO4 followed by calcinations process at 750qC – 1050qC. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), fourier transformation infra-red (FTIR) were used for characterization and evaluation of the phase composition, morphology, particle size and thermal behavior of the product. E-TCP phase start to occur after calcinations at 750qC.
A longitudinal study was conducted to relate basal metabolic rate (BMR) with growth during adolescence. Subjects comprise 70 boys and 69 girls aged between ten and thirteen years at the time of recruitment. Parameters studied include anthropometric measurements and BMR, which was measured by indirect calorimetry using the Deltatrac metabolic monitor. Measurements were carried out serially once every six months, with a total of 713 BMR data points collected over three years. Mean BMR of boys aged 11, 12, 13 and 14 years were 4.96 ± 0.63 MJ/day, 5.28 ± 0.71 MJ/day, 5.73 ± 0.68 MJ/day and 5.92 ± 0.63 MJ/day, respectively; while mean BMR of girls in the 10, 11, 12 and 13 year age groups were 4.96 ± 0.63 MJ/day, 4.85 ± 0.63 MJ/day, 5.05 ± 0.55 MJ/day and 4.94 ± 0.51 MJ/day, respectively. Comparison of measured BMR with BMR values predicted from the FAO/WHO/UNU (1985) equations shows that the predictive equations overestimated the BMR of Malaysian boys by 3% and that of girls by 5%. The Henry & Rees (1991) equations for populations in the tropics underestimated BMR of boys and girls by 1% and 2%, respectively. Linear regression equations to predict BMR based on body weight were derived according to sex and age groups. It is recommended that these predictive equations be used for the estimation of BMR of Malaysian adolescents.
Tropical greenhouses require active evaporative cooling system such as pad-and-fan to ensure a suitable microclimate for crop production. Excess heat causes indoor temperature to become hotter than desired resulting in detrimental effects to crop growth and production. Solar radiation intensity and outside temperature affect temperature and relative humidity level inside a greenhouse, while wide gradients in temperature and relative humidity can cause problems related to crop growth and production uniformity. A 300 m2 greenhouse, equipped with evaporative pad and four exhaust fans at each end walls, was used in the study. Horizontal and vertical profiles of the temperature and relative humidity inside the greenhouse were investigated. Results showed that temperature increased from evaporative pad area to exhaust fans area in a horizontal plane, while relative humidity showed an inverse pattern from temperature. In the vertical plane, temperature increased, while relative humidity decreased from lower level to the upper level. ANOVA results showed that in overall, temperature and relative humidity inside the greenhouse were uniform as there was no significant difference at 95% confidence interval. Thus, it was concluded that greenhouse cooling system by evaporative pad and exhaust fans are suitable for application in a tropical country such as Malaysia.
A technique to isolate DNA from ghee was developed for the authentication of beef fat product. The method was based on pre-mixed ghee with phosphate buffer solution (PBS) prior to DNA extraction using Epicentre extraction method. The recovery of beef DNA was then analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using beef species-specific oligonucleotide primers which targeted the mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) of cytochrome b (cyt b) gene. The amplicon was 274 bp in size. The developed ghee extraction method offers a high yield of DNA providing 100 ng per μl and useful for validating beef fat product.
Pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus is one of the leading causes of bacterial gastroenteritis in many countries. Among the strains examined, 36 RAPD-types were found when amplified with primers OPA8 and OPA10. The analysis shows the majority of V. parahaemolyticus isolates originated from seafood were branched into four major clusters at 18.2%, 20.7% 34% and 3.4% similarity levels. This suggests that there is potential for a single strain to be distributed widely within a population and there also potential for multiple contaminating strains of different clonal lineages to be present within the same population. Optimum temperature (37ºC) was the highest and stable formation of biofilm. The total percentage of biofilm formation at 37ºC was 33.33% for each of weak, moderate and strong biofilm producers. Room temperature produces 61.1% of weak biofilm producer, while 13. 89% for moderate biofilm producers and produce 25% of strong biofilm. While a total of 91.67% weak biofilm producers at 4ºC and 8:33% for room temperature and no growth of strong biofilm. Upon analysis, strong biofilm was tracked from the largest group at 37°C and room temperature which produce 27.27% of strong biofilm producer respectively. Interestingly, they are derived from cockles.
Unripe and ripe kundang fruits (Bouea macrophylla Griffith) is either consumed fresh or is cooked in Malaysia. In this study composition of unripe and ripe fruits (proximate, amino acids profile, minerals and heavy metal contents) were evaluated. Results obtained showed unripe kundang fruit to possess higher moisture, ash, crude lipid, crude fiber and crude protein contents than the ripe fruits. With regard to amino acid contents, unripe fruits had higher content of essential amino acids. The unripe and ripe fruits were found to be rich in essential minerals with potassium (K) to be in abundance. Heavy metals such as cadmium, nickel, mercury, lead and arsenic, were detected in trace amounts (< 5.0 mg/kg) in both unripe and ripe fruits. Through this investigation, it is concluded that both unripe and ripe fruits to posses’ adequate amount of nutritionally important compounds beneficial to human health and can be explored for commercial purposes.
The Malaysian skincare industry is growing rapidly with a vast number of new sunscreens being produced annually. Inadequate skincare regulations and lack of enforcement have resulted in the overrating of sunscreens’ quality. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the local and international sunscreens and to determine the effects of adding concentrated antioxidants into them. Three local and three internationally manufactured sunscreens were tested for the in vitro Ultraviolet A protection factor (UVAPF), Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and photostability. The creams were spread onto roughened polymethylmethacrylate plates where the absorbance was measured using a spectrophotometer before and after two hours of sunlight irradiation. The procedure was repeated combining available concentrated vitamin C and E creams. International sunscreens were found to have more accurate SPF labels (p=0.009) while local sunscreens were found to be more photostable (p=0.003). However, both sunscreens had inadequate UVAPF (p=0.471). Vitamin C enhanced the SPF values (p= 0.04) of both groups of sunscreens while vitamin E enhanced their photostability (p=0.000). Interestingly, combining vitamins C and E rich creams with the sunscreens had no effect on the SPF and UVAPF values as compared to the use of a single vitamin. More importantly, the combination of vitamins decreased the photostability (p=0.002) of sunscreens as compared to the addition of vitamin E alone. In conclusion, photoprotection is best achieved when sunscreens are used together with creams containing either vitamin C or E alone.
Introduction: Presently, the use of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (ELJ) (Tongkat Ali) has increased dramatically in Southeast Asia especially Malaysia where it is widely used as aphrodisiac and anti-malarial agent. Interestingly, its consumption has become popular in daily life as beverage to enhance energy and stamina especially among males. However, its effect on the safety of vital organs of the body has not been studied adequately. Hence, the main objective of this study was to determine whether or not long-term use of ELJ any has side effects on the liver in rats.
Methods: Three different concentrations of aqueous extract of ELJ were prepared and dissolved in distilled water. A total of 32 Sprague-Dawley male rats were used and randomly divided into three test groups and control. The test groups were given different doses (low dose 250 mg/kg bw, medium dose 500mg/kg bw and high dose 1000 mg/kg bw) of aqueous extract of ELJ, respectively. Control group was given distilled water alone. Doses were given orally and daily for 5 weeks. After 5 weeks, animals were sacrificed; whole liver tissues were obtained, fixed in 10 percent formaldehyde overnight for histological examination.
Result: Histological observations showed mild to moderate degrees of hemorrhage, hepatocytes degeneration and severe fatty changes in liver tissue of the test groups treated with ELJ as compared to control.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the long-term daily consumption of ELJ in large quantity as beverage may cause fatty changes, hemorrhage and hepatocytes degeneration in the liver tissue.
Enamel demineralization is associated with decrease in saliva pH due to fermentation of sugar by oral commensal. Thus, exploring the changing pattern of saliva pH is meaningful in dental caries prevention. The aim of this study was to compare the changing pattern of saliva pH after consuming different types of sweeteners (sucrose and maltitol). Methods: It was a case-control study involving 14 male patients attending IIUM dental clinic who were selected with the intention of getting seven patients with high caries risk ( DMFT ≥6) and seven patients with low caries risk (DMFT ≤3) with initial saliva pH interval of 6.5 to7.5. Patients were asked to consume snacks containing 8 gram sucrose and 8 gram maltitol as sweeteners. The changing pH values of the saliva were measured by Waterproof pHTestr 10BNC (Oakton, Vernon Hills, USA) seven times consecutively at 0 (before snack consumption), and at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 60 minutes after snack consumption. The pH values of saliva of patients with low and high caries risk after consuming sucrose and maltitol were statistically analized by using Anova and Tukey-HSD tests at α = 0.05. Result: There were significant differences in saliva pH changes between low-risk group and high-risk group after consuming sucrose and maltitol. Conclusion: The changing patterns of saliva pH in high-risk patients were lower than those of low-risk patients after consuming two types of snacks containing sucrose and maltitol.
Varicella or chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), which commonly affects the children. It is a mild, self-limiting disease and rarely complicate to serious conditions except in adults. Decreasing incidence of chickenpox among children, probably owing to improved living conditions ,prevention and health care, is worrisome as growing number of adults are being infected. This creates disturbing concerns in many parties as women at childbearing age might get infected and not only are them at a great risk of serious complications, but also their unborn fetus or their newborn babies.
In forensic entomology practice, it is more common to use raw animal tissue to breed dipteran larvae and it often brings unpleasant odour in the laboratory. Few studies suggested the use of synthetic diets, mainly agar-based media, as alternatives to animal tissue but it is rarely being practiced in forensic entomology laboratory. The present study observed the growth of a forensically important fly, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) on raw cow’s liver, nutrient agar, casein agar and cow’s liver agar. A total of 100 M. scalaris eggs were transferred each into the different media and placed in an incubator at 30°C in a continuous dark condition. Data on length and developmental period were collected by randomly sampling three of the largest larvae from each rearing media, twice a day at 0900 and 1500 hours until pupariation. M. scalaris larvae reared on raw cow’s liver recorded the highest mean length (4.23 ± 1.96 mm) followed by cow’s liver agar (3.79 ± 1.62 mm), casein agar (3.14 ± 1.16 mm) and nutrient agar (3.09 ± 1.11 mm). Larval length in raw liver and liver agar were significantly different from those in nutrient and casein agar (p < 0.05). Larvae bred in liver agar and raw liver recorded the shortest larval duration before entering the post-feeding stage (89 hours), followed by nutrient agar (119 hours) and casein agar (184 hours). Total developmental time from oviposition until adult emergence for M. scalaris in liver agar and raw liver was approximately 163 hours. All puparia in nutrient agar and casein agar failed to hatch. This research highlighted the potential use of cow’s liver agar as an alternative diet of raw liver to culture M. scalaris in laboratory.
Many studies have shown that probiotic strains added to a number of probiotic products are not compatible to that of
claimed. It is thus of note to validate probiotic strains added to probiotic products. In this study, three probiotic drinks,
A, B and C, were cultured on MRS agar and the number of bacterial colonies was enumerated. The bacterial counts
recovered from A (9.3 ± 6.9 log CFU/ml) and C (9.0 ± 6.9 log CFU/ml) were signifi cantly higher than B (5.2 ± 3.5 log
CFU/ml) and achieved the minimal amount recommended for probiotic bacteria. All of the isolates appeared as gram
positive rods microscopically and were proven to be catalase negative. However, there were only A1, A2, B4 and C1 that
were highly tolerant to the gastrointestinal pH 3 to 6. The four isolates produced and secreted antimicrobial substances
which inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). C1 showed the greatest
growth inhibition by forming 17.50-mm and 17.85-mm inhibition zones against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. The
16s rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed to further identify the twelve isolates. The twelve isolates
were found to be Lactobacillus (L.), particularly L. casei and L. paracasei. However, the bacteria isolated from drink B
were incompatible to the labelled ones. In conclusion, probiotic drinks are possible to contain different bacterial counts
and probiotic strains from the labelled ones. These differences might affect health benefi ts rendered by probiotic strains
to consumers.
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of Female Orgasmic Dysfunction (FOD) focusing on the orgasm domain among female patients attending PPUKM Psychiatric clinic. To compare the prevalence of orgasmic dysfunction between female patients on Escitalopram and on Fluoxetine therapy.
Methods: A validated questionnaire for sexual function was used to assess orgasmic function. A total of 112 women aged between 24 and 57 participated in this study. The orgasmic dysfunction was compared between patients on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) fluoxetine and escitalopram.
Results: The prevalence of female orgasmic dysfunction was 58.9% (33/56) among patients treated with Fluoxetine and 41.1% (23/56) among patients treated with Escitalopram. However, there was no statistically significant difference between these two treatment groups (p=0.059). The odds to have FOD among patients on higher dose of antidepressants was found to be higher compared to those patients who were on lower dose of antidepressants (Odds ratio 5.32, p= 0.001).
Conclusion: There was no significant difference of Female Orgasmic Dysfunction between patients on Fluoxetine and Escitalopram.
Study site: Psychiatric clinics, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Never in the history of modern Malaysia, the general population at all levels are being threatened by food security. Food becoming less available and more expensive. Many factors, both long- and short-term, have contributed to the shortage. At a global level, available data seems to indicate that we have been consuming more than what we produce. Then came the shortfall in global rice production caused by the impact of climate change such as the widespread drought in India and China in 2002, typhoons in the Philippines in 2006, and the major flooding in Bangladesh in 2007. This was followed by the returns of pests such as planthoppers, and the various virus diseases transmitted particularly at regions with growing seasons having abnormally higher temperatures caused by climate change. Since the crisis started, scientists particularly breeders all over the world were requested to strengthen and upgrade the breeding program and facilities for the development of new varieties with increased tolerance to drought, flooding, and salinity as well resistant to insects and diseases. An important pre-requisite for such activities is the free flow of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (pgrfa). The adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has drastically slowed down the movement of many plant genetic resources and this has threatened the future supply of food. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resource for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA or the Treaty) is a global reaction to the rising tide of measures taken by many governments as a result CBD to extend their sovereign control over genetic resources. Many countries felt that those measures are inappropriate for food and agricultural crop genetic resources. The Treaty on the other hand recognizes that access and benefit sharing for agricultural biodiversity must be treated differently from the way it is generally treated under CBD. This paper discusses some of the key points and provisions from the treaty and some issues arising from its negotiation and future implementation in Malaysia.